A Series: Outside the Box – Those That Draw Beyond Confines – No31 Outside The Toy Box

Posted by Step-Up Finance (Business) on Dec 16, 2011 in Blog, Business, Economy, Finance, Management, Miscellaneous, Outside the Box, Small Business Blog, Uncategorized | 0 comments

 

The difference between men and boys is the price of their toys.

A statement which might truly, according to promoted top ten lists, be relegated  to Christmas’ past, as real time toys in emails to the North Pole seem to eschew traditional play for interactive with added technology.

Updated after Christmas dinner games, such as Monopoly, with an Old Kent Road at £600,000  and Mayfair at £4 million, apps and video games might be on wish-lists but traditional toys haven’t gone away.

The necessity of business owners to concentrate on their business, by adapting and responding to their market and offering what customers are seeking, means the independent business, including the one close to everyone’s heart - The Toy Shop - has the opportunity to survive any market challenges.

Hearing about toy maker Wendy Tsao of Child’s Own Studio, was exciting. Literally developing a child’s imagination she creates her young customer’s thoughts into toys.

To discover the unique model that is at R.S Currie and Co  was a comfort and shows that the inventive business, with a design for their standard of product offered, can function traditional values alongside modern alternatives to move business into the future

 

Managing to restore his family’s century-old ex-business building, Tom Russell has developed a business model that inspires his customers and could inspire other independent businesses.

This high street independent toy shop values its customer, who might quite possibly be in business in the future, by offering play with a purpose, along with a special shopping experience that includes teddies (with a twist) music, books, a life size two storey doll’s house, full size trees, birds, chill-out zone for parents, customer’s artwork on the walls, sweets and then some.  Big box might have to re-think its offerings in a future that sees trends in which pester power includes eye catching traditional that some of us never grow out of.

The opportunity to explore new things or new ideas isn’t new to play, or business.

The simplicity of the best ideas isn’t new either; it’s always better to play than to do nothing.

(Image credits:  hassmanm     kate*    CarbonNYC    Yogendra174    jurvetson   Article credit: Copyright SUF)